Aeluon

Aeluons are a species which originated on the planet Sohep Frie. They are a powerful species within the Galactic Commons. They are notable for their advanced technology, particularly in the area of weaponry.

Appearance
Aeluons have silver scaly skin (but are stated not to molt like Aandrisks). They are bald, and have large eyes with second eyelids and small mouths. Humans and Aandrisks are known to find them particularly attractive, while Toremi find them ugly. When an Aeluon woman becomes fertile, her scales shimmer faintly.

Genders and fertility
Aeluons have four distinct genders. One that produces eggs, one that can fertilize them, one that involuntarily switches between the two (called "shon"), and one that is infertile. Pre-space travel Aeluon culture segregated Aeluon villages by gender, Shimmerquick being one of the very few occasions different genders interacted.

Female Aeluons only become fertile two or three times in their lives, at most. Some of them never do. They are expected to take time off once they begin to shimmer and head to a facility to mate and have their egg. This can be a stressful time for Aeluons, so it is made as comfortable as possible and treated like a vacation. Aeluon gestation takes about a month. Aeluon mothers do not take care of their offspring, but many do stay in close contact with them, especially ground-dwelling Aeluons. Spacer Aeluons have a harder time keeping in touch with their children. Aeluon children are raised in creches by groups of fathers who are specifically educated for this purpose.

Culture
Aeluons are known to be somewhat superstitious, putting significance into certain numbers and symbols. Interspecies relationships are taboo in Aeluon society, as they are seen as a threat to the species' future.

Color based communication
Aeluons are deaf and mute, so do not traditionally speak. Instead, they communicate with each other through patches of skin located on their cheeks that are capable of flashing different colors rapidly. After making contact with other creatures and joining the Galactic Commons, Aeluons have taken to implanting voice emulators into their throats to be able to communicate verbally with other species and implants that catch sound and transform it to signals that Aeluon brains can understand. As spacial hearing is a concept that just can't be processed by Aeluons, the implants produce a tingling sensation in the skin of their head in the direction the sound is coming from. Adult Aeluons' talkboxes and sound-processing implants are often highly decorative.

Aeluons' lack of sound has proven to be particularly brutal during war, as they can move completely silently and pull off successful ambushes.

Aeluon Emotions
Most other sapients in the galaxy can't read Aeluon colors. However, some are capable of grasping basic emotions.

Some colors explained in the series are:


 * red - fear, anxiety
 * green - amusement
 * pale purple - frustration, annoyance
 * dark purple - anger
 * blue - friendliness, kindness, happiness
 * brown - curiosity
 * yellow - pensiveness, worry
 * orange - exasperation, sadness

Notable Aeluons
Pei is an Aeluon cargo runner. Despite strict rules against interspecies relationships, she is Ashby's secret lover.

Tak is an Aeluon from Port Coriol. Xe is a tattoo artist and a friend of Sidra. Tak is a shon (switches between male and female genders) and alternates between he/she/xe pronouns.

Trivia

 * Becky Chambers has stated that Aeluons were inspired by her interest in cephalopods, which communicate through color.